EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM: THE POTENTIAL OF CUENCA (SPAIN) AS A CREATIVE CITY OF GASTRONOMY

Recently, studies on gastronomic tourism as a generator of experiences have been booming. Concurrently, the potential of the creative industries - e.g., Creative Cities - as tourism resources is gaining momentum. For this reason, this paper jointly addresses the experientiality of gastronomy and the impacts of the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designations and analyses the case of the city of Cuenca as a potential gastronomic destination through a theoretical and descriptive approach. Then, the established similarities allow an analytical discourse about the city's current situation and the possibilities for rapid development as a benchmark city in the gastronomic field. As a result of the previous analyses, some steps are suggested to consolidate the city as a culinary pole: improving the accommodation capacity, reinforcing its culinary heritage, and better governance measures to involve the community, among others.